Prime Magazine October 2019

FEATURE
© : Toni Rasoarimanana / Presidence de Madagascar
great disappointment but also a further important step
forward. And what is surprising is that the stadiums have
always had a closed box office, whether for the playoffs
or the final.
Football lovers
From the year 2000, African tournaments no longer
smiled at Malagasy clubs, which were eliminated very
quickly. Fortunately, some clubs (such as As ADEMA,
Uscafoot, Usjf ravinala, Ajesaia, Tana formation,
Académie ny antsika, Cnaps sport) continued to shine
at local tournaments. Within these clubs, Madagascar
has had players who have performed well technically
but less well physically. This reality has always been a
major obstacle to their careers. Among the players who
have marked this period are the impenetrable defender
Mamisoa, the two outstanding goalkeepers Lama and
Bruno Rajaozara. At that time, the atmosphere of
the sporting events was just unimaginable! We were
witnessing a match between Usjf ravinala and Uscafoot,
just as we would have seen a match between Real Madrid
and Barcelona.
Not just tops
Football in Madagascar has not always been rosy! Add
to other difficulties: many players, even in the first
division, choose to play in the neighbourhood to get
the 5000 Ariary distributed after each game rather than
remain miserable in their respective clubs. This process
has logically destroyed many careers and closed the
door to good players. As for the national team, the
problem of player selection and the lack of transparency
have always been detrimental to decisive matches:
how many times the Bareas have been on the verge of
crossing the CAN gate but, for unforgivable mistakes,
the ball has gone to the other side. For example, we
have already taken up the challenge of maintaining the
score at 0 everywhere with the formidable Côte d'Ivoire
team! And what about the qualifying phases that were
stopped by six Egyptian goals on target? At the time,
Claude Kely, Menahely, Mamisoa, Bota, Eric Faneva, Rija
Juvence were wearing the Malagasy team's colours high.
The football match between As Adema and Emyrna
Olympic Stadium (SOE) in 2002 during the national
championship marked the great confusion of this
period. This match held the world record for the
number of goals scored: the match ended with 149
goals to 0! The SOE team voluntarily losing the match
in protest against the refereeing of previous matches.
But now is not the time for bad memories. Think back
to our national team's qualification for the 2019 CAN.
And more precisely on 16th October 2018, the day our
winger Njiva Rakotoharimalala offered his team and his
country the magic goal of the century! The 1-0 victory
over Equatorial Guinea was enough to get the winning
ticket for this CAN.
In the city districts as
well as in the most remote
villages, the passion for
football has always flowed
in the blood of Malagasy
boys.
In the city districts as well as in the most remote
villages, the passion for football has always flowed in the
blood of Malagasy boys. Making an appointment after
school for a football game becomes a routine: four, six
or even more, no matter how many, as long as two teams
can organize a small meeting. And they enjoy playing,
barefoot, with a balloon made from layers of plastic bags.
Happiness is where the football spirit is.
Magazine online
www.primemedia.international
| 37 |